talking about tonight. >> baltimore police confirm they have gotten thousands of calls from patients of dr. nikita levy, the doctor accused. secretly recording their exams. >> reporter: we are now talking about more than 2,000 patients calling a police hotline, looking for answers. it is a number that just keeps growing. >> reporter: more than 2,000 women have come to police, after dr. nikita levy was exposed. detectives say the once- respected johns hopkins gynecologist, made photos and videos of their examinations they confiscated from his home before he committed suicide. >> i can't begin to imagine the unimaginable breach of trust this has created for families. >> reporter: and there are new fears. police refer to others. and the johns hopkins center says many are now fearful of getting necessary treatment. >> a lot of those women are

feeling betrayed. they feel confused. >> reporter: some lawyers may also be discouraging patients from getting counseling. >> people often blame themselves. and so i think there is a certain amount of i should have known. it's not their fault they ended up in this situation. >> reporter: police are working with federal authorities, contacting victims, one by one. >> looking to see if dr. levy perhaps sold this material online. if he partnered with anyone else during the commission of this crime. >> people have also expressed concern about investigate investigators -- investigators reviewing the videos. i think we don't know the extent of what happened. and you know, to some of these victims. >> reporter: many face not only a lengthy investigation, but also lingering questions, including whether they can trust their doctor again. >> reporter: and dr. levy spent most of his career, working at the east baltimore medical center. we have a number of links at cbsbaltimore.com. if you would like counseling help or if you have legal

questions. reporting live, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. a coworker first alerted hopkins security about something suspicious in the exam room on february 4th. levy was soon fired. he committed suicide last week. a lot of rain is moving through maryland right now. air live look outside. in addition to the rain, could a little bit of ice mix in some places? let's go to meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk. they're tracking first warning doppler radar. bob? >> we got rain in the region. a little later owe'll see moderate showers. take a look at rain now. across much of central maryland. it's heavy. but it's consistent rains coming in from the southwest. a few heavier pockets move through the eastern shore. and there's one little batch south of d.c. see that? that's going to head into the region this evening. and moderate rain headed our way. we'll be looking for a wet night across the region. some areas way out in far western maryland may see some of that ice. and they already have seen some of that. bernadette has a look at that. >> that's right. the icy threat is more at the start of this storm system.

temperatures aren't really dropping out of the 40s overnight. it's going to remain warm. and we're going to see that rain. and with this gusty easterly wind, there's coastal flood advisories on the eastern shore. out west, where the cold air has hung on a little longer. that's extreme west. there's a winter storm warning in effect. and each that advisory has been dropped. tomorrow, the storm, the bulk of it moves off on our north. but the thing is, we're not finished with it yet. going to hover to the north, 24 to 36 hours. slierter chance for showers. breeze. warm air arrives. and then we'll have cold air to follow. all of that in your forecast. back inside. >> thank you, bernadette and bob. be sure to check in for first warning weather coverage. information on closings or delays, log onto cbsbaltimore.com. a mysterious illness inside a johns hopkins facility. more than a dozen employees rushed to the hospital. wjz is live at the facility in north baltimore. jessica kartalija with more on the search for the cause for

the illness. jessica? >> vic, hazmat crews arrived after several people fell ill here at the keswick center. >> reporter: one by one, employees in the kes wick sowrp south center are loaded into ambulances. several are rushed to the hospital after suddenly becoming ill. >> trouble breathing. unknown cause of the illness. at this time is it under investigation. hazmat has been performing sweeps of the building. >> hundreds were immediately evacuated. some didn't want to go on camera. >> announcement came over the pa system, telling everybody to evacuate the building. >> we kept hearing sirens coming and going. and my manager came in a little later, like 10-ish. and she said, what's with all the sirens, the ambulances out front for? next thing you know, they made the announcement for everybody to vacate the building. we have been out here for 40 minutes. >> it's still unclear what

cause the ilcontinuous. >> we've checked for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and others. >> reporter: we're told more than 1,000 hospital and university employees work here at the kez wick building. patients are not seen here. it's for emergencies only. patients -- >> i don't want to go in there until they clear the building and make sure it's safe. because now i'm afraid to eat or drinking drink anything from the building. don't want to get sick. >> reporter: and officials say food poisoning could possiblying be the culprit. at this hour, they're still not sure what caused everyone to suddenly become sick. but they're telling employees, if you start to feel ill this evening, please call 911. jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. two buildings make up the kez wick complex. only employees in the south building were evacuated. maryland's highest court delivers a huge blow to dozens of people living in one

baltimore community. a massive lawsuit is tossed out. mare sein the newsroom with this case that has dragged on for years. >> reporter: a short time ago, the court of appeals struck down the jury's $1 billion verdict against exxon mobil. it all centered around an underground gasoline leak that people in jacksonville, baltimore county, say ruined their drinking water and damaged their property values. the court also rejected parts of $650 million in other damages. the court rejected the key verdict that exxon mobil was guilty of fraud for withholding information about the extent of the leak. back to you, denise. >> thank you very much, mary. no word yet if this decision will also be appealed. a morgan state university graduate student and her boyfriend shot execution style. then their car torched. tonight, as police look for the killer, stunned friends are speaking out. wjz is live. adam may has the latest on the investigation. adam? >> reporter: vic, we have confirmed that indeed, the victims were a couple that have been dating for at least a couple of years.

now, police are trying to figure out why they were killed, execution-style. >> reporter: friends say nicole strickland and tae tuck were a happy, serious couple. micoal was enrolled in morgan state's architectural program. tae was fun loving and caring. police say the two were found shot in their heads friday morning. >> she was a very delightful young lady. >> derek vawng owns the bistro wine bar. it's in the ridgely delight neighborhood. >> this sounds like something you would hear from some columbian drug lords down in miami or somewhere. this is in the something you would hear to a girl that is working, going to school. >> reporter: strickland was originally from roanoke, virginia. her mother, a retired judge. used to see crime from the -- the other side. diane strickland heard all of the evidence from the 2007 school massacre n. a statement,

the stricklands say their beautiful daughter was murdered. and they appreciate the thoughts and prayers. meanwhile, police are not reporting any leads. >> the bodies were burned pretty badly. and our arson unit is continuing to work with the fire department's fire investigation bureau. >> reporter: but wjz has learned police are looking into the background of each victim, hoping it helps lead them to a motive. >> and a neighbor tells me that police were out there, questioning some people that live in nicole's neighborhood. adding to this mystery, it appears appears that neither of the victims has anything serious on their criminal record. reporting live at city police headquarters tonight, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. >> adam, thank you. if you have any information, please call city police. well, right now, baltimore city police are looking for the man who robbed two employees inside a busy hospital. the suspect held them at gunpoint. around 1:00 this afternoon, at mercy hell -- medical center. the victims were not hurt. and they released this

video of the person leeching the hospital. if you have information, call crimestoppers. you could be eligibility near a -- eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000. and baltimore police are looking for the suspect in an unusual incident. they say a couple was having sex on the top floor of a parking garage in towson, when they noticed a man watching them and exposing himself. that man then pulled out a butterfly knife and began chasing the couple, who fled down the stairs. the couple was not hurt. massive across-the-board spending cuts are set to kick in in just three days. and those cutless could have a painful impact. derek valcourt has the latest on the sequestered cuts and what they mean. derek? >> well, it does not appear that negotiations are going well in washington, which has a lot of folks here in maryland, wondering how these cuts will impact their own wallets. >> reporter: president obama visited a navy shipyard, as he travels across the country, warning about the impact of the $85 million in budget cuts set

to take effect friday. >> these cuts are wrong. they're not smart. they're not fair. they're a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen. >> reporter: the main sticking point between the white house and congressional republicans is taxes. republicans agreed to raise taxes in the physical cliff deal last month. and they say that's enough. they're also criticizing the president for taking his message on the road. >> he's traveled over 5,000 miles the last two weeks. and we challenge him, mr. president, travel a mile and a half up here to capitol hill. >> well, the last-minute wrangling continues. many worry about the impact those cuts will have here in maryland. >> reporter: according to data from the white house, maryland's military would take a hit. funding for the army bases would be slashed by $95 of million. and 46,000 would face furloughs. that could cost them as much as 20% of their annual pay. >> a number of my clients are military. and yes, they're looking at taking a day a week off.

>> reporter: in shops near anne arundel cowngtdy's -- county's busy fort meade, the sequester cuts are all the buzz. >> how would that affect businesses like yours? >> of course it would limit the amount of hair cuts coming in the door because people don't have enough money to get a hair cut. they have to put their money into other things. >> reporter: and it's unclear how long the cuts could stay in place. >> reporter: and state and local leaders know there is a lot on the line. because those cuts could impact maryland in other ways, including cuts to education, public health and public safety. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> most furloughs for civilian defense employees would not be able to begin until sometime in early april. because employers are required to give at least 30 day advanced notice. orioles and ravens games are about to become completely smoke-free. while some are supporting the stadium's smokeout. as christie ileto explains, others are fired up. >> reporter: if you're caught

smoking at m&t bank stadium or inside camden yards, as the umpire says -- >> he is out. >> reporter: they will no longerilitissing up -- longer allow night lighting up of cigarettes or cigars. >> i don't smoke. i don't want to inhale secondhand smoke. >> some support it. others like rob dicks say -- >> i'll be watching from home. >> reporter: teams are work oag a plan that will allow smokers to leave the stadium to smoke then reerntsz. but some smokers already have a plan b. >> i think i can probably handle going for a few hours. and if it's too much, i can just go outside the game. >> reporter: before the ban, there were certain parts of the stadium where you could smoke, like along the ramp. >> over the years, we received complaints from fans about smoking in our facility. >> reporter: the maryland stadium authority says they're not the only ones do being this. there are 25 that are smoke- free or have designated smoke

areas outside. >> which brings camden yards sports complex in line with what other sporting facilities are doing across the country. >> reporter: as for the nail- biting games. if an usher catches you smoking, you'll be watching outside the gate. >> reporter: again, the ban goes into effect march 4th. and the maryland stadium hopes this will enhance the fan experience. >> and the nonsmoking policy will also apply to nonsports events, such as concerts. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. final counterdown -- counterdown -- cowntsz down. pope benedict xvi days away from handing over power. what his role will be once he steps down. comfort leaves baltimore for good. that story as eyewitness news continues. was it a fantasy? or a real plot to harm women? i'm mary bubala. hear about the marylander tied to the so-called cannibal cop as his trial gets under way. how long will it take for this rain to pass through?

stick around for the updated first warning weather forecast coming up.

it is 42 degrees with light rain in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. after being challenged as unconstitutional. maryland's dna collection law is now under review by the supreme court. monique griego has more.

>> reporter: the supreme court heard arguments for about an hour today. justices will now have to decide whether to overturn a maryland law that allows law enforcement to take dna from people who are arrested but not yet convicted. if the law is reversed, it could have major repercussions in maryland and across the country. >> reporter: it's now up to the united states supreme court to determine whether maryland's dna collection law is unconstitutional. >> this is one of the most important criminal procedure cases they have had in a decade because dna is the 21st century fingerprint. >> reporter: maryland attorney doug gonzalezler says the law which alous people to be arrested but not convicted is a critical tool in solving crimes, especially cold cases. 28 states currently allowing dna. and he says if overturned -- >> the use of technology we have, which tells you exactly who did the crime, but also who didn't do the crime, would be lost for the state. >> reporter: at the center of the debate, the case of alonzo

king n.2009, king was arrested for assault. police took his dna and linked him to a 2003 rape. king's lawyers claim officers violated the fourth amendment, which guards against warrantless search and seizure. >> the state conducted the search really for the purpose of investigating other crimes, and again, other crimes for which they lacked suspicion. >> reporter: but for victims, it's all about finding the truth. in 2002, jay ann's daughter stephanie was brutally murdered. it took three years to track down her dna. >> it's one of the reasons we believe it is so important because it brings justice so much sooner. >> reporter: the supreme court hopes to have a decision by june. reporting from washington, d.c., moweek nique griego, wjz eyewitness news. >> since being passed in 2009, arresting dna has led to convictions in 43 unsolved crimes in maryland. the first of maryland's new state medivac helicopters

touches down. the two state of the art helicopters come down. four more will arrive. and then after that, the total to 210. the state spent nearly $2 million for the aw39. alex demetrick reports, after 25 years and the relationship here, the navy has decided to move on. >> reporter: long observe dawn, work was under way to get the hospital ship comfort under way. for those who worked the dock and watched over it, it was an emotional departure. >> i've worked security. and i deal with these people every day. and it hurts. it hurts to see them go. >> reporter: in more than 25 years, the comfort has treated soldiers in both gulf wars , as well as civilians and humanitarian missions and disasters, like the earthquake in haiti. >> thank you guys for what you're doing for haiti and for old us. >> reporter: these have always been a source of pride for baltimore. >> baltimore takes pride in it. and the ship takes pride in it. i think it's a good

relationship between the navy and baltimore. >> reporter: the reason it's ending is financial. >> maybe we'll save about $2 million per year by putting the ship in norfolk. >> reporter: it will also put it closer to most of the medical staff who are also in virginia. but the navy's savings is baltimore's loss. >> it's bad for our economy. we need them back here. more ships here, the more money it brings into our ports. >> reporter: today, there was no time to visit aboard. only a partial crew taken out for sea trials first. then home to norfolk. but those aboard lined the rail and waved. >> bye, baltimore. we love you. >> the feeling is mutual. >> it's emotional. >> it's family. >> not coming back. >> reporter: alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> later this spring, the comfort will visit ports in south america on a training mission. >> sorry to see the conservative go. >> it was quite a fixture here for all of those years.

we have rain tonight. it will eventually clear out much, much later on. take a look at temps now. light rain falling. 42. look at those winds. east at 26. some gusts up to 38 miles an hour. barometer still fawlding. come back and take a look at the warmup for tomorrow. briefly after this.

all right. rainy night on tap. looks like the rain will finally wind down between 11:00

and 12:00. it's windy, too. take a look at temps right now. around the state. temperatures ranging from 30 in oakland, where they've seen about a tenth to maybe 15/100ths of an inch of ice out there. freezing rain. a little sleet earlier. 44, 46. much warmer east of the blue ridge mountains. 39 up in westminster. this morning, around 10:00, 11:00, 12:00. we saw a little light sleet for a few minutes. then just plain rain. 43 annapolis. here comes the rain. still with us. but get into southern virginia. and it's winding up. a few batches here has disoperated. we have pockets. rain. at times, won't be all that heavy. pockets that bring us decent shower activity. maybe half an inch to an inch in some spots. right out of the east out of the ocean. 26. wind gusts near 40 miles an hour in the last hour.

that's pushing the water to the western side of the bay. so we've seen minor tidal flooding about a foot above normal. tonight, a time of high tides on the western edge of the bay. a lot of rain s, heavier thunder activity. the actual front bearing down on central florida. you see it? they had temperatures near 90. in our part of the world. pretty much all rain exet in higher areas. now, from southern michigan into the chicago area. rain has turned to snow. a little freezing drizzle out there. and rain here in ohio. with a little milder temperatures. we've got rain as you see for the next several hours. but mild weather comes in tomorrow. briefly. then it starts to get a little progressively colder. garrett county. probably snow showers breaking out thursday as the cold air begins to move in. gale warning moving through late tonight. winds picking up to 35 knots. bay temp around 38 degrees. tonight look for rain later on

it will be ending. 38. maybe around midnight or so. then tomorrow, much warmer. 58. and breezy. mild. we'll see some sun. and then it starts to cool down after that. have a look at that five-day forecast coming up. >> okay. looking forward to it, bob. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. mother nature hammers the nation's heartland again. the latest on the massive storm. inside the mind of the shooter. i'm mike hellgren. what his chilling confession video tells us about the teenager who opened fire at perry hall high school. also ahead, for years, americans have adopted children from russia. like this maryland family. they had their room set up. then an international dispute between the u.s. and russia comes between the children and their adoptive parents.

just before 6:30. 42 degrees. but light rain. good evening, everyone. thanks for staying with wjz.

here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. another major storm tears through the nation's heartland. it's blamed on at least 10 deaths. and tens of thousands of people are without power. first warning weather coverage begins with randall pinkston with more. snow plows and sand trucks are clearing roads in the midwest. as drivers cope with the second big storm in a week. nearly a foot of snow has fallen in kansas and missouri. northern arkansas is getting flurries. and the storm has moved into illinois. >> it's getting pretty nasty out here. through all of this slush and everything. i'm just hoping it doesn't get up to six inches of slush. >> forecasters say this snow is the dense kind. so heavy and dangerous, it reportedly sent at least eight snow plows in missouri into highway ditches. high winds and gusts of over 60 miles per hour, are piling up snow drifts. this dash cam caught some thunder and lightning in kansas city. officials blamed the storm for three deaths. over 100,000 homes and businesses are without electricity.

and many roads and schools are closed. few flights are getting out of airports in the region. chicago's o'hare has canceled more than 150 flights ahead of the storm. it's expected to dump up to 6 inches there. >> residents of oklahoma and the texas panhandle are now digging out. 19 inches of snow buried amrirlo, texas. the mountains outside denver got over two feet. but there is a bright side. every 10 inches of snow equals roughly an inch of rain. and this area desperately needs water. firstwarning weather coverage continues now with meteorologist bernadette woods. >> so we're going to give you a snapshot of this entire storm here because it is a large one. you already saw some of what it has been doing in amarillo, in the panhag of texas. and the front range there of the mountains. but look. as it moves off to the east,

this thing is still so expansive that it's from the upper midwest, all the way down into florida, where there were tornado watches this afternoon. that midsection, that's where we are with the rain and the wind. because there's wind extending throughout this entire storm. let's switch it over to live doppler radar. we'll show you what we have going on with this storm here. basically, on that northern side, where we are, it's the warmer side. and we have got that rain coming in with the gusty winds. but with this section, that's the central low, driving this entire system. it is bringing in cold air to the form. sleet and snow. and even blizzard conditions on the northwest side of this storm. so there's a lot going on. we'll keep you updated. vic? >> bernadette, thank you. check in for first warning weather coverage. for updates on the forecast, live doppler radar. and information on closings and delays, if any. log onto cbsbaltimore.com. sick fantasy. or a real-life sinister plot? the trial of the so-called cab balt cop is under way.

two women from maryland take the stand in this high- profile case, making national headlines. >> nypd cop, galberto valle, a 2006 graduate at the university of maryland is planning to kidnap-- accused of planning to kidnap, cook and eat as many as 200 women. including two women from the university of maryland college park. they both took the stand and both said they didn't feel threatened. on monday, valle's wife told jurors her husband's late nights on the internet drove her to install pie spy wear on his computers. it revealed a history of grotesque websites online chats and photos. she testifies, i saw a woman, covered in blood, hanging. i saw a picture of human feet cut off from the body. plans, plans, she testified. i was going to be tied up by my feet and myself throat slit. valle's lawyers argue this paints a sick fantasy, not an

actual murder clot plot. who can blame you if that scares you. it's the stuff of horror movies. but like horror movies, it is the stuff of pure fiction. pretend. >> is it possible? i don't think so. >> reporter: have you ever heard him talk about anything like this? >> nope. there's never been any sort of discussion about cannibalism? >> never. >> and a forensic psychologist says it is possible this is all fantdzacy. >> typically, the individuals i've encountered, who have engaged in serial murders or engaged in cannibalism, don't really write about it. but prosecutors tell jurors, valle was ready to act. in evidence, this conversation with a coconspirator. the question, how big is your oven? valley said big enough to fit one of these girls in i bend both of their legs. >> reporter: valle faces a charge of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a

maximum sentence of life in prison. state medical examiner is looking to identify the remains found near a high school. human remains were found in a wooded area. behind overlea high school. anyone with information should call police. inside the mind of the perry hall shooter. wjz was first to show you video of his confession to police. tonight, investigator mike hellgren takes a closer look as a community seeks answers as to how had could happen. >> reporter: 15-year-old robert gladden, jr., calmly shows detectives how he pulled the gun from his waist before opening fire at the perry hall cafeteria. his lawyer said the teenager was desperately in need of psychiatric help, after struggling for years with demons, something gladden admitted in a rambling interview with police. >> the first time i thought

about killing myself was in fourth grade. but i was so young, i figured i'd wait. >> how many bullets did you take with you today? >> 21. >> why so many? >> figured if i'm going to do it, might as well do a lot. >> reporter: psychologist james bassinger looked at parts of the video. >> it's empty lies. empty feelings inside of them. and anger, of course. there's strong feelings of anger. unexpressed anger. >> reporter: on facebook, gladden warned this would be the last day of his life, and expressed admiration for the columbine shooters. >> kind of like columbine or something, isn't it? are you familiar with that? is that before your time? >> i know what is. >> reporter: online, he said he wished he went to sandy hook elementary in newtown, connecticut. >> this stuff sits inside of folks when they're young people, and builds and builds and builds over time. then it explodes. >> what would you want to happen? >> death penalty.

>> why? >> so i can just die. >> reporter: gladden will get treatment while serving a 35- year sentence. >> as long as there is life, i always think there is hope. in some shape, i hope flz in some in this respect. >> reporter: his victim, daniel borowy, survived. his mother calls the school every day to check on him. >> gladden's lawyer now says he is showing remorse and is taking medication. new secretary of state john kerry continues his 11-day lessening tour of europe in the middle east. he took time to visit the branden burg gate, which used to divide east and west germany. in addition to talks with german chancellor angela merkel. and frosty relations between the two nations are affecting thousands of american couples, who are trying to adopt russian children. imagine meeting the child you want to adopt, building a

relationship, and then being told you can't be together. well, tonight, wjz's jessica kartalija shares the story of a maryland couple, caught in the middle of a political tug-of- war. ♪ [ music ] ♪ >> reporter: for matt and julie, waiting is excruciating. >> i sit there. and i pray to god every day. that they'll let us bring them home. >> reporter: in september, the carroll county couple left their farm, flying to russia, where they spent days getting to know two 10-year-old girls they desperately hope to adopt. >> how did it feel when you actually met the girls for the very first time? >> after the first meeting, we knew that these girls were for us. >> reporter: wjz has blurred the girls' faces since matt and julie are still waiting to see if russia lifts a ban on american adoptions. the government suddenly announced a ban on american adoptions this summer, leaving couples like julie and matt in limbo. >> they both deserve a loving

home. and that's what we can provide. >> reporter: many will this is in response to a recent american law, calling for sanctions against russians who commit human rights violations. >> the children and their families, the victims of some political tug-of-war between the two countries. >> it's particularly cruel to have international adoption become the captive of other issues in the american-russian relationship. i would take this as a private sector issue, which should not be held hostage. >> reporter: americans, and even russians are protesting the ban, concerned for the more than half a million orphans, waiting for a home. when russia first opened its doors to american adoption back in the 1990s, couples flooded the country, adopting more than 60,000 russian children. judy williams is with an international agency, specializing in eastern european adoptions. she's working with more than 20 families whose adoptions are up

in the air. >> it shouldn't be a privilege to have a family who loves you. that you grow up with. you know, it just shouldn't be a privilege. it should be a right of every kid to have a family. >> my dear daughter. happy birthday, my sweet daughter. >> matt and julie write letters to the girls and decorate a bedroom they hope they can use. >> everything in here was made for them. this is her favorite color. you can see the little dolls here. my mother made this quilt for the one and that one'for the other one. >> reporter: with their court date in russia on hold, matt and julie vowed to wait forever if they have to. >> god brought us to these girls. and he'll bring them home. >> reporter: jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, right now, russia is only allowing adoptions already approved by russian courts. something julie and matt were just days from getting when the ban took effect. time now for a quick look at some of stories you'll find

in the baltimore sun. what happens now that the maryland court of appeals overturned a billion-dollar verdict against exxon mobil for a baltimore county gas leak. recipes for healthier comfort foods. and a preview of wednesday's terps basketball game. for much more on these stories and much more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. well, still to come on wjz's eyewitness news. closer to confirmation. the latest on chuck hagel's attempt to become the next defense secretary. terror in the sky. balloon explodes in midair. did anyone survive? i'm bob turk. rain tonight. but a much warmer wednesday. i'll have the exclusich first [ telephone rings ] good evening this

is flo. [laughs] yes, i'm that flo. aren't you sweet! licensed phone-ups available 24/7. call 1-800-progressive.

a horrible accident in egypt, as a hot air balloon explodes, killing at least 19 tourists. investigators say a landing cable got caught up in one of the helium tubes. they say that caused the balloon to shoot up in the air 1,000 feet. and then crash back to earpghts. the pilot and one passenger survived but they're in critical condition. no americans were among the victims. the vatican announces what the pope will be called and

what he'll wear after retirement. it says that pope benedict xvi will be addressed as your holiness. and he will become pope emeritus. he will still wear his white cassic but give up his red shoes for brown ones that he reeve received in mexico. benedict is the first pope to step down in about 600 years. thursday is his first day leaving head of the catholic church. president obama's nomination of hagele. earlier today, they voted to end a republican filibuster on hagele's nomination. republicans have criticized hagele for later opposing the iraq war. they also call him anti-israel and too comp heis myselfing on iran. four others joined the democrats in voting for hagele. here's a look at the closing numbers from wall street. we'll be right back.

it is a wet tuesday evening. a live look outside now. will things clear up any time soon? meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating the forecast. and bernadette, they're saying you must be looking for toto out there, because of the winds and the rain. >> i'm holding this umbrella on

top of my hands, as close as a can, because it's about to blow away. but it's keeping me dry. and definitely winter out here. tomorrow, most of the storms moving away. but it's going to be just to our north. mostly cloudy skies for the morning hours tomorrow. as we head through the day again, mostly cloudy. a few peaks of sunshine. but we'll warm up into the 70s. only the slightest chance for a shower. for the rest of the five-day, here's bob. tomorrow, believe it or not, mid mid- to upper 50s. with some kind of breeze. 48. a shower or two on thursday. then it gets colder at night. 34. 47. that's average for friday, with partly cloudy skies. partly cloudy, 44 and chilly again, 42, 26. for the second half of the weekend. denise? >> thank you, bob. still to come on eyewitness news tonight. a deadline looms for the ravens to get joe flacco to sign for a new contract. >> mark

mark is here with the wjz the fan sports report. talking big numbers here. >> joe flacco has another kid coming. he needs the money, right? >> yeah, right. >> he'll have plenty, no doubt. the clock is tricking on the joe flacco talk. the ravens have until monday to reach a deal. if there is no agreement, they will have to use the franchise tag to keep flacco. but he could then get offers from other team. flacco say of's agent flacco's agent said there are no new talks scheduled for now. agent joe linda tells, nobody yell, talks are moving forward. and while the agent saizs flacco should be the highest paid qb in the nfl, linda says flacco wants to work with the ravens so his new contract does not hurt the team in terms of salary cap. the agent says, quote, joe isn't that kind of guy.

neither, apparently, is brady. he has agreed to free up salary cap room for new england. it appears to be on the surface to be a below market deal for brady. but flacco's agent said the brady contract has no impact on the talk with the ravens. while brady's contract is low for his stature, he will get $30 million guaranteed pay in that new deal. orioles won each of their first three exhibition games. but that hot start is cooled for today anyway. in our masn on wjz spring training report. rain in bradenton, florida. where the o's were scheduled to play against the pittsburgh pirates. game got washed out. o's will split the game for tomorrow. one against the yankees in the afternoon. the other at night with the red sox. it will be a short time for sarasota outfielder jones. he's leaving to go to arizona to join team usa to join in

preparation for the world classic. jones had a double yesterday. he is one of six orioles leaving for world camp. he considers it an honor and appreciates that he has the team's backing. >> i'm glad the orioles are supporting me going to play for team usa. i'm going to miss my teammates here for a couple of weeks. but they understand thati'm going to play for team usa. i got the backing from the top all the way down to the players. and it's a pretty good feeling. >> reporter: opening game for team usa, a week from friday. they'll take on mexico in phoenix, arizona. reliever is playing for the dominican republic. to basketball. heading to atlanta to take on georgia tech tonight. terps are coming off a strong performance in their win over clemson, in college park saturday. big game for baltimore native, nick foust. he scored a season high 18 points. it's now 19 victories this season for maryland. they still have ncaa tournament

hopes. we asked them today, is the tournament part of their motivation with four games to go? >> of course we talk about a tournament. we definitely want to get there. but you know, i mean, coach really doesn't like us bringing that up in the locker room or anything. just try to get the win for the game that is coming up. >> and a game that is coming up, terps at georgia tech, tomorrow night. tip time, 8:00. today today, just 2-5 in road games this season. tonight at 11:00, more college hoops and college

that does it for us tonight. we'll be >> pelley: tonight, with the budget ax falling, the government starts releasing illegal immigrants from jail. elaine quijano has that story. and we'll talk to the speaker of the house about whether friday's budget crisis can be avoided. >> i frankly think this is outrageous. >> pelley: dean reynolds on a major winter storm making travel dangerous. but do the clouds have a silver lining? civil rights battles led to the landmark voting rights act, but now jan crawford tells us the supreme court is about to hear a challenge to the law.

and long before ben affleck told the oscar-winning story -- >> you have to know your resume back to front. >> reporter:front. >> pelley: -- david martin broke the story. >> you consider success to be the fact that nobody knew. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. reporting tonight from washington. >> pelley: good evening, detention cells are opening in several states tonight. hundreds of illegal immigrants